Clematis plant named ‘Evipo083’

ABSTRACT

A new Clematis plant with a compact growth habit, profuse, red-purple flowers, and continuous summer flowering. The variety successfully propagates from softwood cuttings and is suitable for cultivation in commercial nursery culture. This new and distinct variety has shown to be uniform and stable in the resulting generations from asexual propagation from vegetative cuttings.

Botanical Classification: Genus: Clematis. Species: viticella.

Variety Denomination: ‘Evipo083’.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED PLANT

The present invention constitutes a new and distinct variety of Clematisplant which originated from a controlled crossing between the femaleseed parent, an un-named seedling, and the male pollen parent, anun-named seedling. Both parent varieties are non-patented.

The two parents were crossed during the summer of 2005 and the resultingseeds were planted the following winter in a controlled environment inGuernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom. The new variety named‘Evipo083’ originated as a single seedling from the stated cross.

The new clematis plant may be distinguished from its female seed parentand male pollen parent by the following characteristics. The female seedparent has red tepals while the new variety has red-purple tepals. Themale seed parent has a growth height of 100 cm, while new variety growsto about 55 cm.

The objective of the hybridization of this clematis plant was to createa new and distinct variety for nursery culture with unique qualitiessuch as:

-   -   1. Uniform and abundant red-purple flowers;    -   2. Vigorous and compact growth, making the variety suitable for        container culture; and    -   3. Improved disease resistance.

This combination of qualities was lacking in clematis plants that werein commercial cultivation and the qualities have been substantiallyachieved in the new variety.

‘Evipo083’ was selected by Mogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison intheir clematis development program in the Channel Islands, UnitedKingdom in 2006. Asexual reproduction of ‘Evipo083’ by means ofvegetative stem cuttings and traditional layering was first performed byMogens N. Olesen and Raymond J. Evison in the nursery during the summerof 2006. This initial and subsequent asexual propagations havedemonstrated that the characteristics of ‘Evipo083’ are true to type andare transmitted from one generation to the next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color illustration shows as true as is reasonablypossible to obtain in color photographs of this type the typicalcharacteristics of the buds, flowers, leaves, and stems, of ‘Evipo083’.Specifically illustrated in the drawing are bare stems, a cluster offlowers on the branch, open flower viewed from above, tepals detached,reproductive flower parts, and leaves. Illustrated plants are 2 years ofage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of ‘Evipo083’, as observed inits growth throughout the flowering period in Marion County Oreg.Observed plants were cultivated for a period of 24 months in an openfield. Certain phenotypical characteristics of the variety may varyunder different environmental, cultural, agronomic, seasonal, andclimatic conditions. Color references are made using The RoyalHorticultural Society (London, England) Colour Chart, 2001, except wherecommon terms of color are used.

For a comparison, several physical characteristics of the clematisvariety ‘Evipo056’ described and illustrated in U.S. Plant Pat. No.27,279 are compared to ‘Evipo083’ in Chart 1.

CHART 1 ‘Evipo083’ ‘Evipo056’ Flower diameter 120 mm 80 to 100 mm Tepalupper Red-Purple Group Purple-Violet Group 82C surface after 61A withintonations with a central stripe opening of Red-Purple GroupPurple-Violet Group 81A 61C at the central bar zone. Height of plant 55cm 100 to 150 cm

Flower and Flower Bud

-   Blooming habit: Continuous. The natural flowering period is    generally from April to September.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—Normally 42 mm in length. Bud diameter is 19 mm.        -   Bud form.—Elliptic.        -   Bud color.—Yellow-Green Group 145B.        -   Texture.—Pubescent.-   Pedicel:    -   -   Surface texture.—Slightly pubescent.        -   Length.—On average 30 mm in length with 2 mm diameter.        -   Color.—Yellow-Green Group 145B.        -   Strength.—Moderately strong.-   Receptacle:    -   -   Surface texture.—Lightly pubescent.        -   Shape.—Broad funnel.        -   Size.—1 mm (h)×2 mm (w).        -   Color.—Yellow-Green Group 145B.-   Flower arrangement:    -   -   Location on vine.—New and old growth, at the terminal and            axillary buds along the stem.        -   Borne.—Each stem produces 10 to 20 flowers, borne solitary.-   Flower bloom:    -   -   Size.—On average, flowers are 120 mm in diameter 20 mm in            depth.        -   Profile.—Open flowers flat.        -   Attitude.—Upwards.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Lasting quality.—Flowers normally remain up to 10 days on            the plant.-   Tepals:    -   -   Tepal color.—The upper surface is Red-Purple Group 61A with            intonations of Red-Purple Group 61C at the central bar zone.            The lower surface is Purple Group N77B with a central bar of            Purple Group 76C and innermost color of Yellow-Green Group            145D.        -   Quantity.—Single. Normally 7 tepals.        -   Size.—65 mm long by 40 mm wide.        -   Overlap.—Partial overlapping.        -   Shape.—Individual tepal shape elliptic. The tepal apex is            acute. The tepal base is acute.        -   Apex recurvature.—Recurved slightly.        -   Tepal cross section.—Reflexed.        -   Margins.—Entire. Moderate undulations of margin observed.        -   Persistence.—Tepals drop off cleanly.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Pollen.—None observed.        -   Anthers.—Size: 6 mm in length. Color: Greyed-Purple Group            N186A. Quantity: On average, 55.        -   Filaments.—Color: White Group 155A. Length: 10 mm.        -   Pistils.—Quantity: On average, 20.        -   Stigmas.—Inferior in location relative to the length of the            filaments and the height of the anthers.        -   Styles.—Color: Green-White Group 157A. Length: 10 mm.-   Seed head characteristics: Seed not observed to date.

Plant

-   Plant form: Climbing.-   Plant growth: Compact.-   Size: Seasons growth attains an average of 55 cm in height. Average    spread is 60 cm.-   Stems:    -   -   Color.—Juvenile stems are Yellow-Green Group 144B with            intonations of Greyed-Red Group 179A. Mature stems are            Greyed-Purple Group 184B.        -   Internodes.—On average, 85 mm between nodes.        -   Length.—Normally 20 cm from the base of the plant to the            flowering portion of the stem.        -   Diameter.—About 3 mm.        -   Texture.—Mature stems are ribbed.-   Plant foliage:    -   -   Leaf characteristics.—Deciduous.        -   Arrangement.—Ternate.        -   Leaf size.—Compound leaves are about 110 mm (l)×110 mm (w).            Leaflets are about 70 mm (l)×45 mm (w).        -   Abundance.—On average 1 leaf per 10 cm of stem.        -   Leaf color.—Juvenile upper Yellow-Green Group 144A with            Greyed-Purple Group 183B at the margins. Juvenile lower            Yellow-Green Group 144A. Mature upper Yellow-Green Group            146A. Mature lower Yellow-Green Group 146A.        -   Stipules.—Absent.        -   Petioles.—Size: Normally 30 mm in length by 2 mm diameter.            Texture: Smooth. Color: Greyed-Purple Group 183A.        -   Petioloule.—Size: About 10 mm in length by 2 mm diameter.        -   Texture.—Smooth.        -   Color.—Greyed-Purple Group 183A.        -   Leaflet shape.—Cordate, to elliptic. The apex is acute, the            base is rounded.        -   Margin.—Entire.        -   Surface.—The upper side is smooth, the lower side is smooth.        -   Thickness.—Average.        -   Glossiness.—Moderately glossy.-   Disease resistance: Subject to any disease that normally attacks the    species. However the variety is more tolerant to clematis wilt,    Ascochyta clematidina, than some clematis known to the inventors.-   Cold hardiness: The variety is tolerant to USDA Hardiness Zone 6.-   Heat tolerance: The variety has been found to be suitable for    climate conditions found in the American Horticulture Society heat    zone 7.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of clematis plant named‘Evipo083’, substantially as described and illustrated , due to itsabundant red-purple flowers with good keepability, attractive longlasting foliage and compact growth, year round flowering underglasshouse conditions, suitability for production from softwood cuttingsin pots, durable flowers and foliage which make the variety suitable fordistribution in the floral industry.